Effects of Aerobic Exercise Training on Nurses' Sleep Quality, Fatigue, Attention and Cortisol Profile

Effects of Aerobic Exercise Training on Nurses' Sleep Quality, Fatigue, Attention and Cortisol Profile: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Shift work in nursing has been found to result in sleep disruption and sleep deprivation, and in sleepiness or fatigue at work. Slow reaction, insufficient attention and poor judgement often come with increased fatigue, which contributes to a high risk of accident and patient safety. Studies have shown that aerobic exercise is helpful in promoting high sleep quality. The study is conducted a prospective parallel randomized trial is performed to 60 nurses with low sleep quality. The subjects are randomly assigned to: (i) the experimental group, in which aerobic exercise training is given; (ii) the control group, in which the subjects kept their original lifestyles. The study aims to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise training on nurses' sleep quality, fatigue, attention and cortisol profile.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Fatigue; Sleep Quality; Attention; Aerobic Exercise; Nurse; Cortisol
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: aerobic exercise

Detailed Description

When work shifts and lifestyles change, the synchronous relationship between the body's biological clock and the environment, i.e., circadian rhythms, is disrupted, resulting in insufficient sleep and insomnia. Shift work in nursing has been found to result in sleep disruption and sleep deprivation, and in sleepiness or fatigue at work. Slow reaction, insufficient attention and poor judgement often come with increased fatigue, which contributes to a high risk of accident and patient safety. Studies have shown that aerobic exercise is helpful in promoting high sleep quality, whereas few researchers have argued over how aerobic exercise training improves sleep quality in nurses. The study is conducted in two stages. Previous stage, we conducted with a cross-sectional study design with convenience sampled 200 participants to fill out the Chinese Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (CPSQI) questionnaire for screen the low sleep quality (CPSQI > 5) participants. A total of 200 nurses were recruited, and 199 valid samples were collected, 108 participants were found to have low sleep quality (CPSQI > 5). The study will adopt a prospective, longitudinal, parallel-group comparative study, randomly sample from previously screen low sleep quality participants, then random assign to experimental (aerobic exercise) and control (routine activity) groups, and actigraphy sleep recording, saliva samples and attention data will be collected.

The study aims to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise training on nurses' sleep quality, fatigue, attention and cortisol profile. The findings of the study could provide guidelines on improving nurses' fitness and sleep quality.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Taipei, Taiwan, 110
    • Taipei Medical University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Full-time
• Female nursing staff members
• Worked 8 hours per shift
• Had at least 1 year of work experience.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Had used sedatives, hypnotics, antihistamines, or hormonal drugs within the 4 weeks before commencing the study
• Pregnant
• Were diagnosed as having sleep or stress disorders, or experienced sleep problems owing to concurrent insomnia or sleep apnea.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: aerobic exercise training; three times a week, a total of twenty-four times in eight weeks	Behavioral: aerobic exercise; the experimental group, in which aerobic exercise training is given three times a week, a total of twenty-four times in eight weeks
No Intervention: control; routine activity

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Total sleep time sleep change	The actigraphy reported on sleep parameters of the amount of actual sleep minutes	The 1st workday 8:00AM to 5th workday 8:00AM of 4th, 8th, and 12th week
Wake after sleep onset change	The actigraphy reported on the amount of minutes they were awake between sleep onset and wake time.	The 1st workday 8:00AM to 5th workday 8:00AM of 4th, 8th, and 12th week
Sleep efficiency change	The actigraphy reported on sleep parameters of percentage of time asleep while in bed from lights off to lights on.	The 1st workday 8:00AM to 5th workday 8:00AM of 4th, 8th, and 12th week
Seep onset latency change	The actigraphy reported on sleep parameters of the minutes between lights off and first sleep episode.	The 1st workday 8:00AM to 5th workday 8:00AM of 4th, 8th, and 12th week

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Simple visual reaction time testing	Psychomotor Vigilance Task Monitor to test simple visual reaction time	Before and after work, the test are completed within 5 min
Saliva cortisol	Diurnal cortisol concentration	Collected at awakening [0 min] and at 30 min, 6 hours, and 12 hours after awakening

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Taipei Medical University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: shu fen Niu, PhD, Taipei Medical University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 1, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): October 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 27, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 28, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): November 30, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 9, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 7, 2020
• Last Verified: November 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Fatigue
• Other Study ID Numbers: TMU-JIRBN201711007

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No